For Aaron Watson, Rodeo Houston Is More Than a Dream Come True

There's a specific analogy Aaron Watson likes to make to demonstrate how important his 2017 Rodeo Houston appearance was to him. Behind-the-scenes video shows the "Run Wild Horses" singer talking about the nearly month-long event in Texas — an event that led to his first live album in a decade.

The size and economic impact is just part of what makes Rodeo Houston special. During this exclusive Taste of Country premiere, Watson shares what an executive told him: that 26 Super Bowls wouldn't match the revenue this world-renowned rodeo event brings to Houston.

“I tell people, for a Texas artist, playing the Houston Rodeo is kind of like a golfer getting that green jacket," he says, referring to the prize a golfer wins at the Masters in Augusta, Ga. "It’s a big deal.”

Watson's family was on hand as he played for 65,000 fans in Houston that night, a performance captured for theAaron Watson Live at the World’s Biggest Rodeo Show album set, which is for an Aug. 24 release. Thirteen live tracks from across his nearly two-decade-long career made the final album. It's an album filled with anxiety for a man who understood the importance of the room he was playing.

“At the end of the day, I always try to put things in perspective," Watson says. "It’s not like I’m being shipped off to war or running into a burning building like a fireman. I just play the guitar.”

The album was shelved for a year due to Hurricane Harvey, which pummeled Houston and the Texas coast in 2017. Now it's being released as a way to bring new attention to the $125 billion in damage that will take years, if not decades to mend. In addition to a new song called "Higher Ground" that was inspired by the relief effort, fans will get the satisfaction of knowing their purchase of the album includes a $1.41 donation to the Rebuild Texas Fund.

Songs on Aaron Watson Live at the World’s Biggest Rodeo Show include new hits like "Outta Style" and "They Don't Make Em Like They Used To" as well as "Bluebonnets," "July in Cheyenne" and his signature "Fence Post." The collection gives fans a taste of every era of his career as a recording artist.